progreffive ftates of mankind, from the creation to the end of time. The first is emblematic of man's ftate of nature, from his firft difobedience to the time of God's Covenant with Abraham, and the establishment of the Jewish Economy. The fecond, from that period to the ra of the laft, full, and perfect Revelation from heaven to Mankind, made by our GREAT REDERMER. The third, comprehending the glo. rious interval of the chriftian difpenfation, down to the confummation of all things. The ftate of dark nefs, or obfcurity, of the FIRST DEGREE, firongly figures out the darkness of chaos before man's creation; or the night into which his glorious faculties, were plunged, by the fall confequent upon his original tranfgreffion. It is alfo forcibly emblematic of the darknefs of the womb antecedent to man's natural birth; and the pain inflicted at his entrance aptly reprefents his pangs, and bitter fenfations, on his entrance into the LODGE of this chequered life. Like a woeful and benighted traveller, found in a dreary and hopelet's defert, his indigent condition fuggefts to him the forlorn and helpless fituation of man in a flate of nature; teaches him the value of mutual good offices; and directs him to extend that relief afterwards to others, which he then fo much wants himself, by comforting the afflicted, feeding the hungry, and covering the naked with a garment. He is brought to the light of the world, and the light of knowledge, by the help of others. His inveftiture is ftrongly fignificant of the firft*.cloathing of the human race, and marks out the model† purpose of primeval drefs. His tools are the rough implements of uninftructed genius, and the rude emblems of the fimpleft moral truths, pointing out the hard labour which human induftry muit undergo, when unafhifted by the cunning and compendious devices of cultivated art. His lodge is defcribed to him as an univerfal wildernefs, wherein he cautioufly affociates with his human broNOT E S. * Gen. iii. 21 † Gen. ill. 7. Hit. Mag. June, 1796. thers upon the higheft of hills, or in the lowest of valleys; the green grafs its pavement: the cloudy canopy of Heaven its covering. Thus he is taught to confider this whole terreftrial globe as his LODGE; and is thereby infructed to look upon all mankind as his BRETHREN, and to grafp the whole human race to his heart with the arms of univerfal benevolence and compaffion. Hence, alfo, he learns to view the whole earth as one TEMPLE of the deity, with its length due caft and weft marked out by the line of the Zodiac, and the Giant's Courfe of the Sun and Moon therein; and to contemplate every human heart, as an ALTAR burning with the incenfe of adoration to the GRAND ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSE. As the darkness of heathenifm, or natural religion, preceded the divine revelation vouchfafed to the favourite people of God; fo by our initiation into the SECOND DEGREE, we advance ftill farther into the dawn figured out by the Motaio difpenfation, which preceded the more perfect CHRISTIAN DAY. Here the noviciate is brought to light, to behold and handle tools of a more artificial and ingenious confruction, and emblematic of fublimer moral truths. By thefe, he learns to reduce rude matter into due form, and rude manners, into the more polished fhape of moral and religious rectitude; becoming thereby a more harmonious corner tone of fymmetry, in the truc ture of human fociety, until he is made a glorified corner-ftone in the Temple of God, made without hands, eternal in the Heavens. Here he learns to apply the SQUARE of juftice to all his actions; the LEVEL of humility and benevolence to all his brother men; and by the PLUME LINE of fortitude, to fup. port himfelt through all the dangers and difficulties of this, our fallen, feeble, ftate. Here, inftead of the cafual lodge as before, like the vagrant tabernacle in the wildernefs, he first be comes acquainted with the conftruction of the glorious temple of King Selomon, whofe magnificent proportions NO T E. Palm xix. 5 Xxx were dictated by the oracular inftruction of God, and are figurative of celefial perfection. The THIRD DEGREE brings the Mafonic enquirer into a ftate reprefenting the meridian light of the laft and fulleft revelation, from heaven to man upon earth, by the eternal Son of God; through whole refurrection and afcenfion, he is railed from darkness and death to the certainty of life and immortality. Such is the mafonic economy. Such are the outlines of that fyftem, which is juftly compared to an equilateral triangle, the perfect emblem of univerfal harmony, and the fublimeft fymbol of the incomprehenfible Deity; whofe radiant throne may we all hereafter encircle with fongs and choral hallelujahs for evermore! Amen, so MOTE it be! Remarks on Voltaire's Creed. TO THE EDITOR. SIR, The following curious paper was written, many years ago, by the late excellent Prelate, Dr. Horne, Bifhop of Norwich. A copy of it has been in my poffeffion, for fome time; and, befide the circumftance of its not being in any of his publifhed works, and its intrinfic merit, it will, probably, be not the lefs acceptable to your readers from its being highly feafonable. I am, &c. C. A CONFESSION of FAITH from Mr. Voltaire is a very great curiofity. With fuch a curiofity, however, great as it is, we are prefented, at the clofe of his letter to the fieur Rouffeau. I fhall lay before the reader a faithful tranflation of this confeffion from the French, accompanied with fome brief remarks upon the feveral parts of it en palant. But before I begin, I muft drink a couple of bumpers of champaign, that I may be a match for the little man. And now, my dear philofopher, have at you. 'I adore one God, the Creator.' We should be glad to know more par ticularly, who this one God is, and in what manner you adore him; because a lively Frenchman, of your acquain tance, is faid, once upon a time, to have facrificed a bull to Neptune; and fome take a man's practice to be the beft index of his principles. But as Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, agreed to divide the world between them, they may as well draw ftraws for their vota ry. And much good may it do the winner. A Being of infinite wisdom, that will punish and reward.'-The attri bute of wisdom cannot, one would imagine, recommend any Deity to you, fince the more he knows of you, the lefs, of courfe, he will like you. And as to the article of punishment, it is wonderful how you could permit a grain of that ingredient to enter into the compofition; for furely no man can have any thing to fear from a God who rewards Voltaire. An univerfal God, and not the God of one particular nation, province, or fect. If the people of one particular nation, province, or fect, believe in God and keep his commandments, when the other inhabitants of the earth do not, the former may, through his mercy, enjoy his favour and protection, while the latter are, by his juftice, deprived of them. For this reafon he chofe Abraham, and bestowed the bleffing upon his feed. Becaufe of unbelief and difobedience the Jews were rejected, and the Gentiles now ftand, in the fame manner, by faith and obe dience. Let the Chriftians of every nation, and every fect, try themselves by this rule; and let those answer for it, who put unwarrantable limitations and reftrictions upon the goodness of their Maker. I love him and ferve him as well as I am able, in men, my fellow creatures, and his children. Videlicet, by breaking his laws and blafpheming his revelations; by fetting a glorious example of infidelity and profligacy, and encouraging all nations and languages to follow it. • But I do not believe that he prefers one people or fect to another.' He may have the liberty, it is hoped, to do not flatter him, but fpeak the truth as well as we are able, though we must always fall infinitely fhort in our manner of doing it. Every one who loves mankind and his country, who cherishes his wife, who educates his children wifely, who does juftice, who comforts the miferable, who relieves the poor, who is no bigot, ferves God as he himself requires, and fulfills the law. That is, if you have the making of it. The law of God requires many other things befide thefe to be done, before a man can fulfil it. But fuppofe, for once, we were to try you by your own law. One might afk, how a love to mankind and one's country was fhewn by writing books against religion? Ora love of truth, by difowning them when written? Or a love of juftice, by fel to prefer certain principles and practices to others, and to prefer thofe of his creatures, who adhere to what is right, before thofe who follow what is wrong. How he can do this, without prefering fome people and fome fects to other people and other fects, we mult have one more confeffion of faith to explain. No man is made acceptable to God by profeffing himfelf a Chriftian, who lives otherwife than a Chriftian ought to do. His profeffion, in fuch a cafe, inftead of juftfying him, would only enhance his guilt, and increase his punishment. Earthly princes, who have their foibles, like you or me, prefer thofe who can flatter them with the moft addrefs. God defires not that we fhould flatter him in our fervices.' How can he be flattered, to whom we can afcribe no perfection, of which he is not poffeff-ling the copy of a work to fix differed? Or what Chriftian, of the loweft form, ever thought of doing it? Against whom, therefore, is this bolt hot? Is it thrown into the air, merely to try the ftrength of our long bow? His true temple is the heart of a good man.' The inference here fuggefted is, that therefore all other temples are needlefs, and the ufe of them But allowing that God vifits, and, as he himself is pleafed to exprefs it, takes up his abode' in the hearts of his faithful people, does it follow hence, that they are not to worship him in material temples, while they are here below? How many links of this chain are wanting? We are more concerned to imitate his goodness and mercy, than to affemble on certain days for the purpofe of informing him in a fong, that he is good and merciful. The duties of devotion and charity are by no means imcompatible. The truth is, we are concerned to do both, and one in order to the other, as we are then in the best difpofition to imitate the goodness and mercy of God, when our minds are filled and our hearts warmed, with the glorious ideas of them contained in the divine pfalms and hymns. These are fung, not to inform God, but to exprefs our gratitude. And when we fay that he is good and merciful, we ent bookfellers, &c. &c. &c. Be not deceived, my dear philofopher, nor attempt in vain to deceive us. It will puzzle your own dear felf to frame a law, fit to appear in public, which will not condemn you. What then will become of you, when tried by the allperfect law of the moft high? Vice, knavery, and flander, are the only impieties I know of. And yet there is not a man in Europe, whose knowledge in that way is more extenfive. Thefe are bad things to be fure; but none of them are properly styled impieties; a word appropriated to thofe fins which are committed immediately against God, fuch as irreligion, infidelity, and blafphemy. I firmly believe that every juft man believes in God.' This point cannot be well fettled, till we know what is here meant by a juft man, and what by believing in God; as alfo whether a man can believe in God, who has not heard of him; and whether he is likely to be a just man who has not firft done both. As it ftands, at prefent, it is one of the most extraordinary articles of faith that ever was believed by an infidel. I believe that God is a good king, who defires his fubjects to be honest men, and nothing more.' So reafonable a requcft should have been better X X X 2 complied complied with by fome people, than, according to all accounts, it hath been. But who authorized Mr. Voltaire to tell the world, to a tittle, what the great king of heaven and earth requires of his fubiects? We know he hath required all mis, and a great deal more. I ftectaf ly believe that our common parent will fave hereft catholics, hone proteftants, honeft Turks, honeft Indians, the Swits vicar, and John James Rouffeau, if he repent him of his follies and his calumnies.' What God intends to do with honeft Turks and Indians,' he hath no where told us, because it concerneth us not to know. One thing we are fure of, that he will do nothing with them but what is juft and right. But what he will do with wicked and apoftate Chriftians he hath told us, because it highly imports us to know and lay it to heart. I have not heard that the Swifs vicar,' is excluded from grace, unlefs Mr. Voltaire's decree concerning his writings be fufficient to reprobate his perfon. And fo far am I from denying the falvability of John James, if he repent, that I doubt not but Voltaire him felf might be faved, upon the fame terms. Whe ther after finning with a high hand, till feventy, he will, or can repent, is another question. I admit of final caufes in the fyftem of Providence. A very kind conceffon, and Providence is much obliged to you for it. And I humbly believe, that for fome good end, of which I profefs myfelf to be ignorant, highwaymen are permitted to rob, wafps to iling, and John James to write. With regard to this article, I profefs the fame faith, but not the fane ignorance. I conceive that John James, and another perfon who hall be nameless, have been permitted to write, in order to fhew us how far it is poflible for authors to mifapply, in different ways, thofe talents with which God hath entrusted them; that men of genius may hear and fear, and be upon their guard. than this; or else your practice outftrips your faith at a ftrange rate. For if there be any modely in your method of examining revelation, modefty is a very different thing from what the world hitherto hath taken it to be. And I pity thofe governments that burn either men or books;' fo do I from ny foul; becaufe fenfe, learning, and wit, properly applied, would foen make any country too hot for an infi del, without fire or faggot. I believe in God with all my heart.' The more fhame for you, that you obey him no better. And in the Chriftian religion with all my might.' I am afraid, my dear philofopher, you have spent your ftrength in believing what is faife, and have now no power left to believe what is true. But try again yet once more: diveft yourfelf of paflion and prejudice; reform your manners; ceafe to do evil; learn to do well; confider you are now well firicken in years; death is near, and judgment will follow. Repent, and you will foon believe, take my word for it. Man, who feems the most unhappy being in the creation, is born, lives, and dies in pain. One would be glad to know, as he proceeded originally from the hands of a good and gracious Creator, how this comes abour, unleís, fince that time, fome alteration hath been made in his condition, through his own fault. But I cry you mercy, he owes all his wretchedness to the prices. Priefs and doctors corrupt his infancy, embitter and delude his man hood, and befiege him in his old age; they make him die in a freaking, cowardly way, and purfue him even in the other world. Some call this religion; for my part, I call it madness,' So do I. It is a pity but the principles of toleration could be fufpended in their operation, juft while we might cut the throats of thefe fame pricils and doctors, that the poor world might enjoy itfelf a little. But men of strong pal1 am of opinion, that it is my privi- fions and brifk imaginations, especially lege to examine with modely what if they are poets too, have a way of reis called revelation.' You believe, my prefenting things very different from dear philofopher, a great deal more. the common one. To inftruct children early 1 early in the knowledge of God, and of their duty, is, in the language of genius, to corrupt their infancy. To teach them, as they grow up, the art of denying and fubduing their unlawful defires, of regulating their wills and affections, and of keeping heaven in fight, while they walk on earth, is to embitter and delude manhood.' To prepare fick and dying people for their departure in the faith and fear of God, is to befiege and make cowards of them, and purfue them in the other world.' When they, who undertake the clerical office, execute it properly, I, for my part,' efteem them to be, the falt of the earth, and the light of the world.' May fuch be my attendants, guides, and comforters in my life, and at my death! And I with Mr. Voltaire no worse luck, than to have a faithful director of this fort near him, when he comes to die. ་ Priefts are not made to render us happy either in this world, or the next.' Omnipotence itself cannot render beings happy, while they continue to hate the only fource of happiness. That bleffed prie, who brought life and falvation from heaven with him, was formerly afked, Art thou come to torment us before the time.' And nothing is more common than for gentlemen to express themselves differently, when they mean the fame thing. I hope to die nobly, and with confidence. My dear philofopher, have you ever been fick, and in danger of death? How did you feel, and what were your thoughts then? They fay, that many as your wits are, you have been frightened out of them all upon fuch occafions. Do you recollect how it has been with you; becaufe fo, or worse, it will be with you again, when the time arrrives. .None but a vile flave would fear to meet a good mafter.' Yes, any fervant would, who had ufed him as you have done yours. The goodness of the maf ter is an aggravation of the fervant's crime, who, if he had any thing generous in his nature, would by that very confideration, be led to repentance. But of this there appear, as yet, no figns in the fieur de Voltaire. 'I efteem mine too highly to fear hi prefence. Do you? I queftion that. I am much mistaken if your heart did not give you the lie when you penned this bravado. No external expiation can juftify the finner, though he were plunged over head and ears in confecrated water, or covered with cow-dung, like the Indians about the Ganges, or ftuck with nails, like the Bramins.' Learning is a fine thing; it enables a man to fet the miferable devices of the befotted pagans upon a level with the inftitutions of God, in order to laugh them all out of the world together. The cow-dung and the nails we readily give up; and the pureft water is, without all doubt, as to any virtue of its own, equally ineffectual for the purpose mentioned. But the point to be proved is this, that God cannot, by his grace and mercy, do away fin, upon the application of an outward fignificant facrament, or dained by himfelf to that end. Till this is fatisfactorily made out, we must beg leave ftill to think, that remiffion of fins may be conferred in baptifm, not withstanding that one Indian daubs himfelf with ordure, and another is pierced from head to foot, like the man in the almanack. 'But a good man fhall fee God and be happy, though he have worshipped all the amulets of the negroes, or the divine marmofets of the Bonzes.' Ia other words, Good people, I, for my part, worthip one God, the Creator, though it is in a way very much my own. But this is only a fancy of mine; and, in thefe trifling matters, every man as he pleafes, fay I. I would have you give yourfelves as little trouble about the object, as about the mode of adoration. Be baptifed with water, or patch yourselves over with cowt-d, it makes no difference. And whether you worship one God the Creator, or a monkey, it comes to the fame in the end. Be but good men, as you fee me to be. Believe as you like, but act as I do; and in due time you will find yourfelves in heaven, if there be any fuch place: and fo I bid you heartily farewell. Only, as a play is fucceeded by a farce, my confeflion of faith fhould |